1 00:00:07,180 --> 00:00:11,010 This Week at NASA… 2 00:00:11,010 --> 00:00:16,380 Two historic milestones have been marked at the Kennedy Space Center -- the arrival of 3 00:00:16,380 --> 00:00:22,070 the Space Shuttle Program’s final external fuel tank, and the departure of the program’s 4 00:00:22,070 --> 00:00:26,869 final solid rocket boosters from the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility. 5 00:00:26,869 --> 00:00:32,840 The external fuel tank for STS-134, the final planned shuttle flight, was removed from the 6 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:39,059 barge that carried it 900 miles over six days at sea from the Michoud Assembly Facility.\hSTS-134 7 00:00:39,059 --> 00:00:42,480 is scheduled for launch next February. 8 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:50,470 The SRBs arrived by train at Kennedy in late May following tests at the ATK solid rocket 9 00:00:50,470 --> 00:00:55,829 booster plant in Promontory Utah. They’re being readied for use by shuttle Atlantis 10 00:00:55,829 --> 00:01:03,290 on STS-335, a mission to be launched in the unlikely event an on-orbit rescue of the STS-134 11 00:01:03,290 --> 00:01:04,290 crew is needed. 12 00:01:04,290 --> 00:01:11,690 So, turn straight west and we’ll head back around to the east, with a turn to the north. 13 00:01:11,690 --> 00:01:18,100 Three U.S. Air Force F-15D Eagle aircraft have been transferred to NASA's Dryden Flight 14 00:01:18,100 --> 00:01:24,430 Research Center for use in flight research and mission support. The demilitarized high-performance 15 00:01:24,430 --> 00:01:31,280 tactical fighters were ferried from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., to Dryden on Sept. 21. 16 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:38,101 One will be dedicated to aeronautical research missions, replacing Dryden's aging F-15B research 17 00:01:38,101 --> 00:01:45,030 test bed aircraft. A second F-15D will be used for operational support, while the third 18 00:01:45,030 --> 00:01:53,240 will be a source of spare parts for the other two. 19 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,329 Travelers racing for planes at Washington’s Dulles International Airport 20 00:01:57,329 --> 00:01:59,490 Thank you for your cooperation. 21 00:01:59,490 --> 00:02:06,170 …should allow extra time to ponder the beauty and majesty of our solar system. A new photographic 22 00:02:06,170 --> 00:02:12,030 exhibition, called “BEYOND: Visions of Our Solar System,” is now on display in the 23 00:02:12,030 --> 00:02:17,109 airport’s Gateway Gallery. The photos are the work of artist Michael Benson, who has 24 00:02:17,109 --> 00:02:22,930 adapted 46 images highlighting recent discoveries by the Hubble Space Telescope, the Cassini 25 00:02:22,930 --> 00:02:26,109 spacecraft, and other NASA science missions. 26 00:02:26,109 --> 00:02:30,069 For my whole life, I have been fascinated by the story of space exploration and this 27 00:02:30,069 --> 00:02:37,689 evolving set of discoveries, series of discoveries. So, to be able to meet people actually involved 28 00:02:37,689 --> 00:02:40,579 in planning the missions is very gratifying for me. 29 00:02:40,579 --> 00:02:45,779 Sponsored by NASA, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and the Metropolitan 30 00:02:45,779 --> 00:02:51,680 Washington Airports Authority, Benson’s work will remain on display at Dulles’ Gateway 31 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,620 Gallery through next March. 32 00:02:55,620 --> 00:02:59,870 Please help me welcome Jose Hernandez. 33 00:02:59,870 --> 00:03:04,019 Headquarters celebrated Hispanic American Heritage Month with a special presentation 34 00:03:04,019 --> 00:03:10,389 in its James Webb Auditorium. Sponsored by NASA and HOLA, the Hispanic Organization for 35 00:03:10,389 --> 00:03:15,939 Leadership and Advancement, the event included remarks by Deputy Administrator Lori Garver 36 00:03:15,939 --> 00:03:19,529 and featured keynote speaker, Astronaut Jose Hernandez. 37 00:03:19,529 --> 00:03:24,849 It took me fourteen years to get selected as an astronaut, I applied twelve straight 38 00:03:24,849 --> 00:03:30,529 times before I finally got selected, so it was as story of perseverance. As Lori mentioned 39 00:03:30,529 --> 00:03:37,030 in 2004, that’s when I got selected, trained for two years --- 2006, and then got assigned 40 00:03:37,030 --> 00:03:41,370 in 2008 and last year I realized my first space mission. 41 00:03:41,370 --> 00:03:48,389 Hernandez joined NASA in 2001. Eight years later, this son of Mexican migrant farm workers, 42 00:03:48,389 --> 00:03:54,689 flew aboard space shuttle Discovery on STS-128, the 30th mission to the International Space 43 00:03:54,689 --> 00:04:00,079 Station. 44 00:04:00,079 --> 00:04:06,779 NASA hosted its first bilingual online chat on nasa.gov. Participants in the live event 45 00:04:06,779 --> 00:04:11,299 interacted with NASA pilot Herman Posada in English and Spanish. 46 00:04:11,299 --> 00:04:13,379 So, submit. Yep. 47 00:04:13,379 --> 00:04:20,549 Posada pilots the Ikhana and Global Hawk unmanned aircraft using a joystick and video monitors. 48 00:04:20,549 --> 00:04:26,780 NASA uses the aircraft to monitor dangerous conditions, including wildfires and hurricanes. 49 00:04:26,780 --> 00:04:33,220 Ikhana, a Predator B plane modified for non-military missions, carries instruments for environmental 50 00:04:33,220 --> 00:04:38,090 Earth science studies as well as aircraft research and development. 51 00:04:38,090 --> 00:04:43,150 The Global Hawk has been busy this hurricane season collecting valuable data for scientists 52 00:04:43,150 --> 00:04:47,360 from a number of tropical storms. 53 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:53,439 When she was just six years old, Carolina Gallardo fell in love with the night sky. 54 00:04:53,439 --> 00:04:58,780 As a teenager, the young woman from a poor family near Mexico City watched a television 55 00:04:58,780 --> 00:05:04,580 show about astronomy and the Hubble Space Telescope that would make the stars her life’s 56 00:05:04,580 --> 00:05:10,930 work. Carolina, then thirteen, was so inspired by Ed Weiler, the NASA scientist featured 57 00:05:10,930 --> 00:05:16,139 on the program that she initiated a correspondence with him that would encourage her studies 58 00:05:16,139 --> 00:05:17,680 for years to come. 59 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:23,990 Now, at age 30, Carolina Gallardo has finished a summer internship at the Goddard Space Flight 60 00:05:23,990 --> 00:05:30,340 Center to complete masters’ programs in aeronautics/astronautics and space technology. 61 00:05:30,340 --> 00:05:35,599 A special guest at the Science Mission Directorate’s monthly meeting at Headquarters, Caroline 62 00:05:35,599 --> 00:05:42,060 told senior managers how Weiler, now the directorate’s Associate Administrator and others at NASA 63 00:05:42,060 --> 00:05:43,599 have impacted her life. 64 00:05:43,599 --> 00:05:51,819 Now I graduate with two Masters in aerospace and I can say that thanks to you, thanks to 65 00:05:51,819 --> 00:06:00,439 your challenge, to your motivation, I can tell everyone that if it wasn’t for you, 66 00:06:00,439 --> 00:06:08,729 I wouldn’t have gone this far. Thank you very much. 67 00:06:08,729 --> 00:06:11,120 And that’s This Week at NASA!